Alisha Lehmann has enjoyed a meteoric rise on social media. The footballer can only be found in 1237th place worldwide. But in Switzerland it is already number two. The footballer currently has 11.3 million followers on Instagram. In this rating, the pretty Bern native has also overtaken tennis legend Roger Federer, who has 11.2 million followers. Lehmann has gained a million fans within just one month, as reported by the “Tagesanzeiger”.
According to an analysis tool, however, this is far from the end. According to this, the professional athlete should have over 12 million followers by March. Lehmann currently earns her money at Aston Villa in England. Lehmann has played in the English FA Women’s Super League for years.
If you look at the Instagram profile and the postings, you will see that they hardly differ from other influencers. Her job as a footballer, on the other hand, is not a disadvantage. For Ursula Schubiger, Head of Social Media at Tamedia, one thing is clear: “That’s a big plus. She is credible and authentic in her sport, which gives her an advantage over pure influencers.”
In addition, the social media expert adds that female athletes are successful on Instagram “if they bring an additional element with them.” In the past, Alisha Lehmann has increasingly focused on beauty pictures. Similar to Cristiano Ronaldo and Kim Kardashian, it’s the perfect look that fascinates and captivates the masses.
The variety also characterizes the profile of the professional athlete. She posts both photos on the soccer field (perfect make-up, of course), then again bikini photos (see above) or private pictures from everyday life. No wonder Alisha Lehmann is now the most successful soccer player in the world on Instagram – undisputedly, mind you. Alex Morgan, forward from USA has 9.8 million followers. Marta from Brazil has 2.5 million followers.
In general, the interaction between Instagram and footballers fits, as can be seen from the example of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Portuguese and the newly crowned world champion from Argentina have the most followers on this platform.
But what is the secret of success? Schubiger also states: “She obviously doesn’t want to use her account to convey a special message or to stimulate discussions.” She keeps her captions short, only using 10 words per post. But the long range also has a downside. So she missed the EM 2022. As the Swiss Football Association announced, she did not feel mentally ready. It was criticized for that. In a short film by UEFA, Lehmann emphasized: “Insults are so much worse on social media than in real life because there are many more people saying something.”
Altogether, Lehmann has 171 postings, which is not much for such a range. When it comes to timing, she leaves nothing to chance when posting. She usually puts new posts online in the early evening, where she also reaches most users. In addition, she has already landed partners such as Adidas or Playstation, which of course she also links to in the postings. She knew how to build social media as a business.
